Last week the Dodge County 12 and under (12U) all-star softball team traveled to Baxley to compete in the state tournament. The games were scheduled to start on Wednesday but rain forced opening day to move to Thursday.

Dodge County took on Appling County and won that game with great pitching and defense with a final score of eight to zero. Later that afternoon Dodge County took on Adel-Cook and the bats came alive behind more solid pitching and defense for a 13 to zero win.

On Friday morning, Dodge took on Bremen and the hitting continued as Dodge made quick work of Bremen in five innings. The girls’ won the game 17 to zero. This put the team in the semi-final game against Metter. Metter held the Dodge bats in check, but the lights out pitching and defense continued as Dodge won six to zero to seal a spot in the state championship game.

Saturday Dodge County would square off against Metter again with the state title on the line. Dodge County began the game as the visitors and could not get anything going at the plate. In the bottom of the first Metter took a leadoff walk and two ground outs later took the lead, one to zero. In the top of the second inning Jade Dowdy leadoff with a single, Jessie Thomas advanced Jade Dowdy to second with a bunt and with two outs, Jenna Hickman hit a long double to right field to tie the game, one to one.

In the bottom of the second inning, Allie Varnadoe struck out the side and heading into the third inning the game was still tied one to one. Julianna Bellflower singled to start the third inning and then stole second base, unfortunately Dodge couldn’t move her past third base and headed to the bottom of the third still tied. Varnadoe struck out two more batters in the bottom of the third and made the final out, a ground out, to head into the fourth inning.

Thomas started the fourth inning with a leadoff double. She advanced on a sacrifice hit from Laralin Rogers. With one out, Amber Maxwell laid down the suicide squeeze bunt to the first base side and Thomas scored to take a two to one lead for Dodge County. Lane Barrows followed with a single and Varnadoe doubled to left center to drive her in and give Dodge a three to one lead heading into the bottom of the fourth. Jade Dowdy threw out the leadoff batter from right field, which proved to be huge as the next batter hit a homerun to make the score three to two.
Varnadoe caught a pop-up and struck out another batter to head into the top of the fifth with Dodge clinging to a three to two lead.

Jacey Dowdy hit a double deep to left center to get the fifth inning started. Meredith Hutcheson followed with a walk after a ground out, Thomas walked to load the bases with one out. Rogers had a single that drove in a run to put Dodge up four to two. Maxwell followed that with another single and the score was now six to two. Barrows drew a walk and Varnadoe singled in two more runs as Dodge pulled out to an eight to two lead.

Bellflower laid down a sacrifice hit to the right side to drive in another run and make the score nine to two. Jacey Dowdy walked her second at bat of the inning and Hutcheson came through with a two out hit to left field to drive in the final run of the inning and putting Dodge ahead 10 to two.

In the bottom of the fifth Metter threatened with the first two batters reaching safely as the rain started coming down. Varnadoe then struck out the next two batters giving her a total of seven in the game. With two outs and runners on first and second, Varnadoe forced the batter to hit a ground ball to Bellflower who threw to Jacey Dowdy for the final out of the game. Dodge County girls run ruled Metter 10 to two in five innings for the state championship.

Dodge County went 14 and zero in the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association play this all-star season. The team went to the Lyons Tournament, district and state, dominating their opponents with a combined score of 146 to six.

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